Minimal Pairs /ð/ And /d/ (They And Day)
17 pairs of words that differ only in /ð/ and /d/. /ð/ is a voiced dental fricative and /d/ is a voiced alveolar plosive. They differ in place of articulation and manner of articulation.
| With /ð/ | With /d/ |
|---|---|
| thy /ðaɪ/ | die /daɪ/ |
| thy /ðaɪ/ | dye /daɪ/ |
| they /ðeɪ/ | day /deɪ/ |
| their /ðeə/ | dare /deə/ |
| there /ðeə/ | dare /deə/ |
| those /ðəʊz/ | doze /dəʊz/ |
| tithe /taɪð/ | tide /taɪd/ |
| loathe /ləʊð/ | load /ləʊd/ |
| other /ˈʌð.ə/ | udder /ˈʌd.ə/ |
| scythe /saɪð/ | side /saɪd/ |
| seethe /siːð/ | seed /siːd/ |
| writhe /raɪð/ | ride /raɪd/ |
| swathe /sweɪð/ | suede /sweɪd/ |
| they're /ðeə/ | dare /deə/ |
| though /ðəʊ/ | dough /dəʊ/ |
| breathe /briːð/ | breed /briːd/ |
| southern /ˈsʌð.ən/ | sudden /ˈsʌd.ən/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /ð/ and /d/?
Word pairs that differ only in /ð/ and /d/ in the same position, such as thy and die. This page lists 17 of them.
Why practise minimal pairs?
Because the two words mean different things, a minimal pair proves that the two sounds are separate phonemes. Saying and hearing them side by side trains you to keep the sounds apart.
More Minimal Pairs
/p/ And /b/ (60)/t/ And /d/ (60)/k/ And /ɡ/ (60)/f/ And /v/ (34)/s/ And /z/ (33)/f/ And /p/ (60)/v/ And /b/ (22)/v/ And /w/ (15)/θ/ And /s/ (27)/θ/ And /t/ (27)/θ/ And /f/ (11)/ð/ And /d/ (17)/ð/ And /z/ (7)/s/ And /ʃ/ (49)/tʃ/ And /ʃ/ (27)/tʃ/ And /dʒ/ (9)/j/ And /dʒ/ (8)/l/ And /r/ (60)/m/ And /n/ (60)/n/ And /ŋ/ (12)/h/ And /f/ (42)/ɪ/ And /iː/ (60)/ɪ/ And /e/ (50)/e/ And /æ/ (44)/æ/ And /ʌ/ (60)/æ/ And /ɑː/ (22)/ʌ/ And /ɑː/ (25)/ɒ/ And /ʌ/ (35)/ɒ/ And /ɔː/ (12)/ɜː/ And /ɑː/ (21)/e/ And /eɪ/ (52)/əʊ/ And /ɔː/ (60)/aɪ/ And /eɪ/ (60)/ɪə/ And /eə/ (28)